Fischer said he expects a successful turnout and hopes to bring an even larger event or full job crawl to the area in February. A few of the areas the businesses are looking to fill include new media, journalism, graphic design, web development, marketing, entrepreneurship and social media. Students also can earn college credit for internships.

Events that connect the startup community are vital to future growth, he said.

“We’ve got the potential here to hopefully get a lot of startups here out of the startup phase and into business growth,” Fischer said. “We’ve got to find ways to connect people here. I think it’s going to be a good event and just another step forward to grow employers here in Missouri.”

The event is open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. at REDI, 500 E. Walnut, Suite 105. REDI will provide free pizza following the event.